2013

2013 has been...amazing. To say the least. I decided dona year In review for the 3 of us. Unfortunately I only have pics from the last couple of months on this phone and I dont have a computer at the moment, so pics will be limited. 

We rang in the last new year with our dear friends. I distinctly remember that night was the first night little 1 1/2 month old Eloise slept a 4 hour stretch. I wish she would sleep a 4 hour stretch these days!! Eloise went on to learn how to roll over, crawl, walk and say a few words. She started eating solids around April and quickly showed me that she was an independent woman who would only feed herself. I gave her finger foods almost immediately. Now she sits in a booster seat at the table and eats with a fork. She went on her first plane rides in August when we visited friends and family in TN and ND. She did great. She started using a pacifier around that time also and it was amazing. She starting sleeping long stretches and even through the night sometimes. Alas, those days were short lived. Lately she has been up every couple hours...and I think her pacifier might be part of the problem, but I'm  not about to take it away from her. So, I will just continue to get up with her until she sleeps again. Hopefully soon, but I am going to be realistic with myself and expect her to keep waking up for a while.  She has accomplished so much this year and she is such a funny, stubborn, and adorable child. 13 months is a magical age. 





Sean started the new year working as a private contracter so he was home most if the time. It was a blessing, but also sometimes difficult. We loved the flexibility and extra time with Eloise. He also had most Fridays off so that was nice . The hard parts for all of us were all the little interruptions he would get during the day which ended up making most of his work days longer. A couple of months ago he got a job with a really meat start up company called "Work Truck Solutions". He is happy there and it seems like a good fit for our family. Eloise gets so excited to see him when he comes home :) 





I started back at work part time in march. it was so hard leaving my little 3 month old. After a month I  cut back to 1 day a week, then in august I quit.  It was a really tough decision for me to make. I felt like i had worked  so hard to get the job that I had, but I also felt like I was only working for the sake of working. We were able to live off Sean's income, and me being out of the house for that time was not a good balance for my family. I will go back someday, I have the rest of my life to be a nurse, but I only get to be mommy to my baby for a short time. Being at home full time has been a hard transition. It's hard to keep your energy up all day. The couch is constantly calling my name to come lie down for a bit, but Eloise doesn't allow for that. I do indulge In a nap with my baby on most days and that is a wonderful thing. 






As a family we have put some roots down in our new church. There are aome great families there. I have been exploring the true meaning of what it means to call yourself a follower of Christ and finding freedom and life in it. Our marriage is stronger then ever and we have are slowly adjusting to being a family of 3. 

Hopefully 2014 will be a year that is filled with more traveling, camping, naps, love, good food and much more. Thanks for reading!!!

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